ABSTRACT
This chapter explores events and processes in Hawaiian history by outlining a political economy of health for the era that has contributed to an understanding that health is integral to the crafting of cultural and national identity. Hawaiians' return to their history, to understanding the knowledge and practices of their ancestors, brings into view the political economy of health that produced transformations in social structure, knowledge and the physical well-being of so many. It explores how Native Hawaiians' remember the health of their ancestors it can be argued that identity is not simply a rejection of aspects of modernity and American colonialism. Malcolm Naea Chun has translated Hawaiian-language newspapers from the 1800s, which has highlighted the concerted efforts that khuna made to save the lives of their people. Khea ola, a phrase used in the Waianae Comprehensive Health Organization, is more than a call to restore the health of the physical body.
